Article Accepted Manuscript

Need for cognitive closure may impede the effectiveness of epistemic belief instruction

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Rosman, Tom
Mayer, Anne-Kathrin
Peter, Johannes
Krampen, Günter

Abstract / Description

The present article examines the effects of need for cognitive closure on epistemic belief instruction efficacy. Individual differences in need for closure were assumed to interfere with the mechanisms postulated in Bendixen's (2002) process model of epistemic change and thus impede intervention effectiveness. A short-term epistemic belief intervention drawing on both the presentation of diverging (i.e., controversial) information and on constructivist teaching approaches (i.e., moderated discussion) was developed. Instruction primarily aimed at reducing absolute and multiplicistic beliefs in psychology freshmen. In a pretest-posttest field-experimental study, 83 psychology freshmen were randomly assigned to the intervention group or one of two control groups (learning strategies instruction group or untreated control group). As expected, epistemic belief intervention reduced both absolute and multiplicistic beliefs. With regard to multiplicistic beliefs, high need for closure significantly reduced instruction efficacy. Our findings thus highlight the crucial importance of considering individual differences in epistemic belief instruction.

Keyword(s)

Epistemic beliefs Absolutism Multiplicism Need for cognitive closure Instruction

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2019-03-19

Journal title

Learning and Individual Differences

Volume

49

Page numbers

406-413

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication status

acceptedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Rosman, T., Mayer, A.-K., Peter, J., & Krampen, G. (2019). Need for cognitive closure may impede the effectiveness of epistemic belief instruction. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2378
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Rosman, Tom
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Mayer, Anne-Kathrin
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Peter, Johannes
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Krampen, Günter
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2019-03-19T13:42:30Z
  • Made available on
    2019-03-19T13:42:30Z
  • Date of first publication
    2019-03-19
  • Abstract / Description
    The present article examines the effects of need for cognitive closure on epistemic belief instruction efficacy. Individual differences in need for closure were assumed to interfere with the mechanisms postulated in Bendixen's (2002) process model of epistemic change and thus impede intervention effectiveness. A short-term epistemic belief intervention drawing on both the presentation of diverging (i.e., controversial) information and on constructivist teaching approaches (i.e., moderated discussion) was developed. Instruction primarily aimed at reducing absolute and multiplicistic beliefs in psychology freshmen. In a pretest-posttest field-experimental study, 83 psychology freshmen were randomly assigned to the intervention group or one of two control groups (learning strategies instruction group or untreated control group). As expected, epistemic belief intervention reduced both absolute and multiplicistic beliefs. With regard to multiplicistic beliefs, high need for closure significantly reduced instruction efficacy. Our findings thus highlight the crucial importance of considering individual differences in epistemic belief instruction.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    acceptedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Rosman, T., Mayer, A.-K., Peter, J., & Krampen, G. (2019). Need for cognitive closure may impede the effectiveness of epistemic belief instruction. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2378
    en
  • ISSN
    1041-6080
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/2010
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2378
  • Language of content
    eng
    en_US
  • Publisher
    Elsevier
    en_US
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.05.017
  • Keyword(s)
    Epistemic beliefs
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    Absolutism
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    Multiplicism
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    Need for cognitive closure
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    Instruction
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Need for cognitive closure may impede the effectiveness of epistemic belief instruction
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
    en_US
  • Leibniz institute name(s) / abbreviation(s)
    ZPID
  • Journal title
    Learning and Individual Differences
  • Page numbers
    406-413
  • Volume
    49
  • Visible tag(s)
    Accepted Manuscript